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The poisoned candy scare was a moral panic in the United States (and
Canada) during the 1970s and
1980s regarding the threat that children could be in danger of
ingesting razor
blades, needles, or poison introduced to candy by tampering,
especially during traditional Halloweentrick-or-treating. Apart from one
incident—actually an act of premeditated murder by a
trick-or-treater's father—there have been no recorded incidents of
deliberately poisoned candy during Halloween or any similar
occasion.[1]

Contents

Origins of candy
tampering

Although the origin of the candy tampering myth is uncertain,
there are two events in particular that no doubt played a large
role in how the crisis was shaped within the public's mind.

The first event took place in 1964, where an annoyed New York housewife started
giving out packages of inedible objects to children whom she
believed were too old to be trick-or-treating. The packages
contained items such as steel wool, dog biscuits, and ant
buttons (which were clearly labeled with the word ”poison”). Though
nobody was injured, she was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to
endangering children.

The second milestone in the spread of the candy tampering myths
was an article published in the New York Times
in 1970. This article claimed that "Those Halloween goodies that
children collect this weekend on their rounds of ‘trick or
treating’ may bring them more horror than happiness", and provided
specific examples of potential tamperings.[2]

In 2008, candy was found with metal shavings and metal blades
embedded in it. The candy was Pokémon Valentine's Day lollipops purchased
from a Dollar
General store in Polk County, Florida. The candy
was determined to have been manufactured in Israel and not tampered
with within the United States. The lollipops were pulled from the
shelves after both a mother reported a blade in her child's
lollipop and several more lollipops with metal shavings in them
were confiscated from a local elementary school.[3]

Contemporary legends and
reality

Over the years various experts have tried to debunk the various
candy tampering stories. Among this group is Joel Best, a University of Delaware
sociologist who specializes in candy tampering. In his studies he
researched newspapers from 1958 on in search of candy tampering. Of
these stories fewer than 90 instances might have qualified.

Upon closer examination nearly all of these claims were false or
hoaxes created by the child. Within the reports of candy tampering
Best has only found five child deaths that were initially thought
to be caused by homicidal strangers.

In 1970, a 5-year-old boy from the Detroit area found and ate heroin his uncle had stashed. The boy died
following a four day coma. The family attempted to protect the
uncle by claiming the drug had been sprinkled in the child's
Halloween candy.[5]

In a 1974 case, Timothy O'Bryan, an 8-year-old boy from Pasadena,
Texas, died after eating a cyanide-laced package of Pixy Stix. A subsequent police investigation
eventually determined that the poisoned candy had been planted in
his trick-or-treat pile by the boy's father, Ronald
Clark O'Bryan, who also gave out poisoned candy to other
children in an attempt to cover up the murder. The murderer, who
had wanted to claim life insurance money, was executed in 1984.[6]

Media and the
myth

Despite the falseness of these claims the news media promoted
the story continuously throughout the 1980s, with local news
stations featuring frequent coverage. During this time cases of
poisoning were repeatedly reported based on unsubstantiated claims
or before a full investigation could be completed and often never
followed up on. This one sided coverage contributed to the overall
panic and caused rival media outlets to issue reports of candy
tampering as well.

By 1985, the media had driven the hysteria about candy
poisonings to such a point that an ABC News/Washington
Post poll that found 60% of parents feared that their children
would be injured or killed because of Halloween candy sabotage.

Advice columnists entered the fray during the 1980s and 1990s
with both Ann Landers and Dear Abby warning parents of the horrors of
candy tampering.

"In recent years, there have been reports of people with
twisted minds putting razor blades and poison in taffy apples and
Halloween candy. It is no longer safe to let your child eat treats
that come from strangers." –Ann Landers[7]

"Somebody's child will become violently ill or die after eating
poisoned candy or an apple containing a razor blade." –Dear
Abby[8]

This collective fear also served as the impetus for the "safe"
trick-or-treating offered by many local malls.